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Friday, September 7, 2012

Cars Land 5k Road Rally

This past Saturday, I had the privileged of participating in the Cars Land 5k Road Rally--part of the Disneyland Half Marathon weekend. Race morning started like usual--early! The difference in Disneyland (if you stay at a Disneyland resort hotel) is that I could walk to the start. This saved so much time and allowed me to sleep in so much longer (something I am a big fan of!). I got up at 5:45 and got to the start by 6:15 for a 6:45 start time.

The pre race area was so fun, the a DJ and lots of actors dressed as car mechanics. Their antics were very amusing to pass the time before the race start. The DJ and actors got the race started with lots of fun and jokes. The first mile of the race was by far the most crowded and boring. Basically, we ran from the huge Mickey and Minnie parking garage to the front of Disneyland park. This was the most chaotic 5k start I have been park of. There were people with strollers, groups walking, runners running like they were in the Olympics and parents literally dragging their little kids behind them. All of the weaving in and out was dangerous! Several people tripped and fell. After we got to the front of Disneyland, the crowd thinned out a lot and the race became much more enjoyable.

Entering Disneyland always takes my breath away. I love that place! It's the original--the park that Walt built! This was my first time into Disneyland for this trip. We entered Disneyland next to Splash Mountain. We then ran past Tom Sawyer Island, the Haunted Mansion and New Orleans Square. This is one of my favorite parts of Disneyland--because it is not part of the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. Leaving New Orleans Square, I got a glimpse of the Dream Suite, or what used to be Walt Disney's Disneyland apartment.

Next, we ran through Frontierland and then into Fantasyland! I got my first glimpse of the Matterhorn--my favorite mountain in Disneyland, and something else that can not been found in Florida. Something fun they did to make the race more memorable is to have Peter Pan, Wendy and the pirates riding the carousel and waving to runners as they ran by. Up next was my favorite part of a Disney race--the trip through the Castle! It is always a magical experience to walk through a Disney castle. As a runner, it is even more magical to run through it!

After the castle, we ran past the Matterhorn and past some more of Fantasyland. Fantasyland in Disneyland is bigger than in WDW in Florida (at least as of now, until the expansion in FL in complete). After Fantasyland, we ran through Tomorrowland and then down Main Street USA. I turn around to get one last look at Sleeping Beauties Castle before leaving Disneyland. Just a short run through Down Town Disney and we were in California Adventure park.

Disney's California Adventure park highlights all of classic California. We entered the park in the Golden State area, complete with a rapids ride that travels around a huge grizzly bear mountain. Then we entered Paradise Pier. This area looks like a classic California beach front boardwalk, complete with a ferris wheel and roller coaster. After Paradise Pier, we entered Cars Land! This is a brand new area of Disney's California Adventure. It is amazing! They made the area look so realistic to the movie. You actually feel like you are in the movie, in Radiator Springs. The finish line was right in from of the Radiator Springs fire house.

I will tell you more about Cars Land and California Adventure later. There were lands in CA that the race did not enter, but that are to cool to not tell you about. The Cars Land 5k Road Rally was an amazing experience. I am so happy I got to be a part of it.
A dream is a wish...

Great post about the 5k, I can't wait for the half marathon recap! I am planning on running the Tinkerbell Half Marathon in January, so I'm excited to hear about your experience.www.diaryofaneverydaygirl@blogspot.ca